Oldest uninterrupted line-up

[JumboXL]

What is the band that is still active, with the oldest line-up, uninterrupted?

Is it ZZ Top (since 1970)? Golden Earring (last change in 1970)?

I think I've seen the question before, somewhere, but I can't find the answer anywhere.....

[Lucky]

I googled your exact question and found this:

Golden Earring - 1961 no member changes, ZZ Top 1969 no member changes

which I wouldn't call definitive, but you sure are on the right track Jumbo. Golden Earring since 1961? Wow.

[Farin]

^^ Wikipedia lists at least 9 "former members"

They have had the same unchanged line-up of the same four musicians and friends since 1970, augmented from time to time with a fifth member (Dutch keyboardist and leader of legendary band Supersister, Robert Jan Stips)

so it's really 1970

[MindCrime]

That would make an excellent trivia question.

[JumboXL]

augmented from time to time with a fifth member (Dutch keyboardist and leader of legendary band Supersister, Robert Jan Stips)

Drummer Caesar Zuiderwijk joined the Golden Earring in 1970, that's why I thought they were a candidate. But yes, Stips played, recorded and toured with the Earring in the 70s, and appeared on the cover of a.o. the Contraband album, which interrupts the line-up.

Also guitarist Eelco Schelling was with the band for a short while (one US tour, if I remember well).

So ZZ Top have the oldest uninterrupted line-up?

Edited July 14, 2010 by Guest

[Lucky]

I thought 1961 sounded awfully odd for Golden Earring. Looks like ZZ Top it is.

[skybluesky]

Wikipedia says 1961 was the year Golden Earring started

Golden Earring have sold millions of albums worldwide, and they are one of the longest existing rock bands in the world that are still performing today in the same line up.

[TheLizard]

Golden Earring: A band that formed in multiple years and had both unchanging and changing lineups. Help, I'm slipping into the twilight zone.

[Carl]

I used to use this question on the air, and always went with ZZ Top - the old rock guides always listed them as the answer.

[edna]

The Four Tops formed in 1953 and are still active... but two of them died five and two years ago.

[Levis]

U2

[bluesboy]

The Four Tops formed in 1953 and are still active... but two of them died five and two years ago.

So are they touring as - The Two Tops now ?

[MindCrime]

U2

That's since 1979.

[chutzpah]

Rush? Maybe not as long as the 2 Tops though...

[TheLizard]

Rush's first album featured a different drummer than Neil Peart.

[chutzpah]

yeah,you're right...I think he produced it too... And I would have said Little Anthony and the Imperials...But,I'm sure a few of them have either retired or passed on

Edited July 15, 2010 by Guest

[edna]

So are they touring as - The Two Tops now ?

Actually, three of them died... it shoud be "The Top"

But they had the same line-up since 1953 till 1997. 47 years...

A change of line-up was finally forced upon the group when Lawrence Payton died on June 20, 1997. The band initially continued as a three-piece under the name The Tops[1], before Theo Peoples (formerly of The Temptations) was recruited as the new fourth member. Peoples eventually took over the role of lead singer when Stubbs suffered a stroke in 2000 with his position assumed by Ronnie McNeir. On July 1, 2005, Benson died of lung cancer with Payton's son Roquel Payton replacing him. As of 2006, Fakir, McNeir, Payton, and Peoples were still performing together as the Four Tops. Levi Stubbs died on October 17, 2008. Fakir is now the only surviving founding member of the original group.

[Brad_M]

Jumbo asks, "What is the band that is still active, with the oldest line-up, uninterrupted?"

I see the question as meaning the same members of the still active band are the same members of the band when they first started without any changes in-between. (Correct me if I'm wrong, Jumbo)

Jumbo also uses the word band and not group.

All bands are groups (except a one-man band, of course), but not all groups can be classified as bands.

Four Tops is not a band, they are a vocal group.

Also, they are still active but the current line-up is not the same as when they first formed in late 1963, either.

They do hold the record for the longest time that any group has gone without any member changes.

They had the same line-up for 44 years before being interrupted with the death of Lawrence Payton on 6/20/97.

That would make ZZ Top the correct answer. (see below, why it's not Golden Earring).

ZZ Top has had the same members with no changes since they first got together in late 1969 to present date and are still active today (a total of 41 years).

ZZ Top:

1969-present:

Vocals, Guitar: Billy Gibbons

Vocals, Bass: Dusty Hill

Drums: Frank Beard

Golden Earring had numerous band member changes and a couple of name changes from their formation in 1961 to the year 1965.

In 1965, they started performing regularly as 'The Golden Ear-Rings' in the following line-up:

The Golden Ear-Rings:

1965-1966

Vocals: Frans Krassenburg

Lead Guitar: George Kooymans

Rhythm Guitar: Peter DeRonde

Bass: Rinus Gerritsen

Drums: Jaap Eggermont

Peter DeRonde left the group in late 1966, they dropped the 'The' and the 'hyphen' for their 2nd album and now were known as 'Golden Earrings'.

The line-up was:

Golden Earrings:

1966-1967

Vocals: Frans Krassenburg

Lead Guitar: George Kooymans

Bass: Rinus Gerritsen

Drums: Jaap Eggermont

Frans Krassenburg left the group in early 1967 and was replaced with Barry Hay, leaving them with the following line-up:

Golden Earrings:

1967-1969

Vocals: Barry Hay

Lead Guitar: George Kooymans

Bass: Rinus Gerritsen

Drums: Jaap Eggermont

Jaap Eggermont left the group in late 1969 and was replaced by Sieb Warner, at which time they dropped the 'S' from their name, added the 'The' and released their next album as 'The Golden Earring.'

The line-up was then:

The Golden Earring:

1969-1970

Vocals: Barry Hay

Lead Guitar: George Kooymans

Bass: Rinus Gerritsen

Drums: Sieb Warner

By spring of 1970, Sieb Warner was gone, replaced by Cesar Zuiderwijk.

After this, their albums were released as 'Golden Earring', without the 'The'.

The line-up was now:

Golden Earring:

1970-1974

Vocals: Barry Hay

Lead Guitar: George Kooymans

Bass: Rinus Gerritsen

Drums: Cesar Zuiderwijk

In 1974, they asked keyboardist, Robert -Jan Stips to join the band.

Previously, keyboardist Cees Schrama was used on some studio sessions but he wasn't a member of the band.

The line-up then was:

Golden Earring:

1974-1976

Vocals: Barry Hay

Lead Guitar: George Kooymans

Bass: Rinus Gerritsen

Drums: Cesar Zuiderwijk

Keyboards: Robert Jan-Stips

Robert Jan-Stips left in 1976. Guitarist Eelco Gelling, who recorded with them on previous tracks, decided to become a regular member of the band after Stips left.

That made the line-up:

Golden Earring:

1976-1979

Vocals: Barry Hay

Lead Guitar: George Kooymans

2nd Lead Guitar: Eelco Gelling

Bass: Rinus Gerritsen

Drums: Cesar Zuiderwijk

Near the end of their U.S. tour in 1979, Eelco Gelling left the band and that left Golden Earring with the same line-up that they had from 1970-1974.

The line up was now:

Golden Earring:

1979-present

Vocals: Barry Hay

Lead Guitar: George Kooymans

Bass: Rinus Gerritsen

Drums: Cesar Zuiderwijk

So, in a nutshell, Golden Earring may have the same members now that they had in 1970, but they have only the same members with no member changes since 1979.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Wikipedia can be a good source for info most times, but the wording can be confusuing depending on who made the last changes and not everyone making these changes do factual research before doing so.

WikiAnswers is one of the last places to look for reliable answers. Although many people know what they are talking about, I've noticed many times where people answer without doing their research or just copy and paste from an unreliable source that they found but they don't bother to check the facts before posting.